{"id":7947,"date":"2025-02-20T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/?p=7947"},"modified":"2025-02-20T17:26:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T09:26:42","slug":"workfare-income-supplement-wis-and-workfare-skills-support-wss-for-employers-and-self-employed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/workfare-income-supplement-wis-and-workfare-skills-support-wss-for-employers-and-self-employed\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) And Workfare Skills Support (WSS) For Employers And Self-Employed Individuals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Reskilling has been a main focus in Singapore, and has been reflected in Singapore Budget measures in recent years. In his Singapore Budget 2025 speech, PM Lawrence Wong enhanced the Workfare is the Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme, encouraging lower-income local workers and employers to embark on relevant long-form training courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS), though, might be the better-known scheme, providing top-ups in cash and CPF contributions to help workers in both the immediate-term and for their retirement. There is a minimum qualifying income of $500 and a qualifying income cap of $3,000 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Read Also:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/progressive-wage-model-singapore-employers-have-to-pay-workers\/\">Progressive Wage Model: How Much Will Singapore Employers Have To Pay Their Workers<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"what-is-workfare\"><strong>What Is Workfare?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Acting as part of the social security system in Singapore, Workfare currently comprises two schemes, the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) and Workfare Skills Support (WSS). Introduced in 2007, the aim of Workfare is to uplift the wages of lower income earners in Singapore, while keeping their employment rate high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) scheme is \u201ceffectively a negative income tax\u201d, supporting older and lower wage Singaporean workers. Instead of taxing a low-wage employee\u2019s income, the government tops up their salaries in cash and CPF payouts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Workfare Skills Support (WSS) encourages Singaporean workers to go for long-form training and courses to improve their skillset. It also supports employers that send their workers for training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"how-much-does-the-workfare-income-supplement-wis-provide\"><strong>How Much Does The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Provide?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The amount of Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) you will be paid depends on your age and employment status. From 1 January 2025, the amount of WIS you receive has also been enhanced, as part of measures announced in the Singapore Budget 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Age in the work year<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>For employees<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>For self-employed persons<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>30 to 34<\/td><td>$2,450<\/td><td>$1,633<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>35 to 44<\/td><td>$3,500<\/td><td>$2,333<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>45 to 54<\/td><td>$4,200<\/td><td>$2,800<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>55 to 59<\/td><td>$4,200<\/td><td>$2,800<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>60 and above<\/td><td>$4,900<\/td><td>$3,267<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>All Persons w Disabilities (PwDs)<\/td><td>$4,900<\/td><td>$3,267<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>* Note that these numbers are the maximum WIS payouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Self-employed persons receive two-thirds of the amount provided to employees because \u201cCPF contribution made by self-employed persons (SEPs) is comparatively lower than employees who earn the same amount\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Employees will receive 40% of their WIS payouts in cash and 60% in CPF top-ups. Those who are self-employed will receive 10% in cash and 90% in CPF MediSave top-ups. You can also use the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.workfare.gov.sg\/Pages\/Calculator.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WIS Calculator<\/a>&nbsp;to find out how much you will get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Employees will receive WIS payouts for every month that they work. These payouts will be paid out after two months. For example, if you worked in January, your January WIS payout will be paid in end-March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For self-employed persons, you will receive one WIS payout a year, for work done in the previous year. The earliest payment will be end April the following year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>If you worked in:<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>For Employees<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>For Self-Employed Persons (SEPs)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>January&nbsp;<\/td><td>PayNow-NRIC\/Bank Credit: End-MarchGovCash: 1<sup>st<\/sup>&nbsp;week April<\/td><td>Earliest payment in end April the following year.<br><em>Provided that they (i) have received your assessed Net Trade Income (NTI) after you have declared your income to IRAS*; and (ii) you have contributed to your MediSave by 31 March of the following WY.<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>February&nbsp;<\/td><td>PayNow-NRIC\/Bank Credit: End-April<br>GovCash: 1<sup>st<\/sup>&nbsp;week May<\/td><td>&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>March&nbsp;<\/td><td>PayNow-NRIC\/Bank Credit: End-May<br>GovCash: 1<sup>st<\/sup>&nbsp;week June<\/td><td>&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Month (X)<\/td><td>PayNow-NRIC\/Bank Credit: End of month (X+2)<br>GovCash: 1<sup>st<\/sup>&nbsp;week (X+3)<\/td><td>&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Eligible platform workers will also start receiving WIS payments from 2029.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Read Also: <a href=\"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/guide-platform-workers-cpf-contributions-cpf-transition-support-scheme\/\">Guide To Platform Workers CPF Contributions (And The Platform Workers CPF Transition Support Scheme)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For both employees and self-employed, there\u2019s no need to apply for WIS, as it will be automatically calculated based on CPF contributions. For employers, this is why it is important to pay employees\u2019 CPF contributions on a timely basis. All employees who earn more than $50 are eligible for CPF contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WIS payouts are also paid entirely by the government, and employers do not share in the payouts. This helps employers continue to pay employees a fair wage, while the government supplements it if it is deemed too low. As WIS is only eligible for those who are working, it helps employers hire and retain local employees, as they are incentivised to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Read Also:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/complete-guide-employers-cpf-contributions-in-singapore\/\">Complete Guide To Employer\u2019s CPF Contributions In Singapore<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"what-is-the-workfare-skills-support-wss-scheme\"><strong>What Is The Workfare Skills Support (WSS) Scheme?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Workfare Skills Support (WSS) was launched in 2010 to complement the Workfare Income Scheme (WIS) &#8211; encouraging lower-wage workers to improve employability and earnings through upskilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Employees and self-employed persons who sign up and pay for WSS qualifying courses on their own will be eligible for $6.00 of Training Allowance (TA) per hour, for up to 180 hours per year. This can potentially pay up to $1,080 per year. In addition, individuals who undergo sustained training will be eligible for a Training Commitment Award of up to $1,000 per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You will receive $100 for undergoing training in any two of the following (capped at $200) per four achievements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>WSQ Statement of Attainment (SOA)<\/li><li>Academic CET Modular Certificate\/Post-Diploma Certificate<\/li><li>Other certifiable course supported by SkillsFuture Singapore<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also receive $500 for one WSQ qualification or academic CET Qualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Employers who send their employees for training can receive Absentee Payroll of up to 95% of their employees\u2019 basic hourly salary (capped at $13 per hour). Eligible courses include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Singapore Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) courses<ul><li>All outcome-based courses offered by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssg.gov.sg\/wsq\/cet-centres.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SSG-appointed CET centres<\/a>&nbsp;are supported.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Part-time ITE Skills Certificate, Part-time NITEC and Part-time Higher NIATEC courses offered by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ite.edu.sg\/who-we-are\/get-in-touch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Institute of Technical Education (ITE)<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Standalone skills-based modular courses, Part-time Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Specialist Diploma and Diploma (Conversion) programmes offered by the five local polytechnics. They include&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nyp.edu.sg\/admissions\/lifelong-learners\/academy-of-life-long-learning-and-skills.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nanyang Polytechnic Academy of Lifelong Learning &amp; Skills (ALLS)<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.np.edu.sg\/cet\/Pages\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ngee Ann Polytechnic CET Academy<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.rp.edu.sg\/ace\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Republic Polytechnic Academy for Continuing Education@RP<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sp.edu.sg\/wps\/portal\/vp-spws\/pace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Singapore Polytechnic PACE Academy<\/a>; and&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tp.edu.sg\/centres\/temasek-skillsfuture-academy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Temasek Polytechnic Temasek SkillsFuture Academy<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Certifiable Skills Training courses accredited or supported by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.skillsconnect.gov.sg\/sop\/portal\/\">SkillsFuture<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>From early 2026, the WSS will be enhanced to provide a monthly training allowance, of up to 24 months, to support lower-wage workers who wish to take up &#8220;more substantive&#8221; long-form full-time or part-time training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Modelled under the Training Allowance given under the SkillsFuture Level Up Programme (SFLP), lower-wage workers can receive a fixed allowance of $300 per month for selected part-time training courses, or 50% of their average income over latest available 12-month for selected full-time courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This also means lower-wage workers can start their upskilling journey from age 30, instead of having to wait till 40, which is the current requirement under the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme. They can receive up to 24 months of training allowance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lower wage workers can then take up a further round of training after reaching age 40, for up to another 24 months, and this will then be shared between both the WSS and SFLP schemes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Read Also:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/skillsfuture-enterprise-credit-sfec-one-off-10000-grant-for-companies\/\">SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC): A One-Off $10,000 Grant For Companies To Transform Their Business And Upskill Employees<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"who-is-eligible-for-the-two-workfare-schemes\"><strong>Who Is Eligible For The Two Workfare Schemes?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Singaporeans<\/strong>&nbsp;who are&nbsp;<strong>30 and above<\/strong>&nbsp;and earn a gross monthly income of&nbsp;<strong>not more than $3,000 a month<\/strong> (from July 2025 onwards and $2,500 before then) will qualify for Workfare Income Supplement payouts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The salary ceiling includes basic salary and extra wages such as Overtime Pay, as well as acts as a ceiling for their average gross monthly income in the past 12 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, there are some exclusion clauses, especially for wealthier workers. Anyone who lives in a property with an Annual Value of more than $21,000 as at 31 December in the previous year will not be eligible. Similarly, anyone who owns more than one property, including their spouse property ownership (if married) is excluded from the scheme. Furthermore, the assessable income of your spouse cannot exceed&nbsp;&nbsp;$70,000 in the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Read Also:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/calculate-overtime-pay-for-your-employees\/\">How To Calculate Overtime Pay For Your Employees During The Month<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>Eligibility Criteria<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Nationality<\/td><td>Singaporean<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Age<\/td><td>30 and above<br><em>All persons with disabilities are covered regardless of age<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Gross Monthly Income<\/td><td>Not more than $3,000<br><em>&#8211; Including basic wage and any extra wages<br>&#8211; Average gross monthly income in past 12 months is also not more than $3,000<br>&#8211; If married, your spouse\u2019s annual assessable income in the previous year cannot exceed $70,000<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Property you live in<\/td><td>Cannot live in a property with Annual Value of more than $21,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Property ownership<\/td><td>Cannot own more than one property<br><em>If married, you and your spouse cannot own more than one property<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For those who are self-employed, you also need to have declared your net trade income for the year and have made your MediSave Contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Read Also:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/how-much-self-employed-contribute-to-medisave\/\">How Much Self-Employed Persons Need To Contribute To MediSave (And What Happens If You Don\u2019t)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Higher qualifying salary from July 2025, and you can get training allowances from 2026.\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":7949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[95],"tags":[1172,1170,1171,1173,1176,1174],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Understanding Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) And Workfare Skills Support (WSS) For Employers And Self-Employed Individuals | DollarsAndSense Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are two workfare schemes: the more popular Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) and lesser known Workfare Skills Support (WSS).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/workfare-income-supplement-wis-and-workfare-skills-support-wss-for-employers-and-self-employed\/\" \/>\n<meta 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